


I'll be beside you

by tveckling



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Benvolio has issues, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 22:31:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: Mercutio glared darkly as Benvolio rushed over with a horrified expression and tried to pull away his arm when Benvolio reached for it, but again the rope didn't allow much movement. He wanted to scream, wanted to curse and spit acid, wanted to tell Benvolio exactly what he was thinking. Instead the gag muffled his furious screams, made them almost inaudible. Benvolio didn't even seem to notice them, focused as he was on Mercutio's wrist.





	I'll be beside you

Mercutio struggled against his bonds once more, but the rope was too tight and didn't give an inch. His continuous straining had made the rope cut into his flesh, but he didn't give a thought to the pain or the blood that ran down his arms. All that was in his mind was the thought of escape. He had to get free, had to leave before-

"What are you doing?"

Before Benvolio came back.

Mercutio glared darkly as Benvolio rushed over with a horrified expression and tried to pull away his arm when Benvolio reached for it, but again the rope didn't allow much movement. He wanted to scream, wanted to curse and spit acid, wanted to tell Benvolio exactly what he was thinking. Instead the gag muffled his furious screams, made them almost inaudible. Benvolio didn't even seem to notice them, focused as he was on Mercutio's wrist.

"Why did you do this?" he asked sadly, looking at Mercutio with a concerned face that only enraged Mercutio further. "I took you away to stop you from hurting yourself; why can't you just stop fighting, just for one second?" He shook his head and got up from the bed, walking into the adjoining room. When he came back he was carrying a bowl with water and some rags. With a sigh he sat down next to Mercutio and dipped one of the rags in the water, then begun cleaning the blood. "If you're doing this to show me you're angry, then you're succeeding. I know you're angry, Cutio, I know. And I understand it. But it was for the best, don't you see? It was getting too much, you were in danger far too often. I couldn't just let it be, see?"

Benvolio didn't seem to notice Mercutio's glare, but he looked down with a frown when Mercutio trashed around with his whole body. "Please stop that," he admonished with the same tone Mercutio was so familiar with. It only made angry tears fill up in his eyes, which he quickly blinked away. Benvolio didn't notice it, continuing on to Mercutio's other arm with a new rag.

"The Prince declared today that you have been exiled," he said quietly. Almost regretfully. "I'm really sorry to say it. If you're seen the order is to kill you. He had to do it, since the Capulets screamed for your head and threatened violence. But don't worry! Once the preparations are done we're going to leave Verona, go to somewhere far away. I'm considering Sicily, I have a friend who visited there once and said it was a very nice place. I'm sure you'll like it too. And there! There we are, all washed up and clean again. Please try not to hurt yourself more, okay?"

Benvolio put down the bowl and rags on the floor, then took a moment to look down on Mercutio before he leaned down and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry for all this," he murmured against Mercutio bare collarbone. "If you hadn't been so stubborn and just _listened_ to me... but what's happened happened. There's only the future to think about now. I'll take care of you, for the rest of our lives. I swear it. But you need to stop trying to hurt yourself, because I will do what I have to to keep you safe. I love you too much to see you hurt." He raised his head and pressed a kiss to Mercutio's neck, nuzzling close. "I love you, Cutio. So much. You know that, right?"

Mercutio tried to control his shivering, but the feeling of repulsion made it hard. All he wanted to do was push away Benvolio and tell him to never again touch him. He wanted to know more about what was going on; had his uncle truly exiled him? What about Valentine? What did Romeo think? Didn't anyone know what truly happened? Did everyone actually think he had done it? They couldn't, could they? He had been happy to fight, yes, but to do _that_?

Benvolio reached up and stroked his face, interrupting Mercutio's panicked thinking and making him flinch. An expression of hurt flashed across Benvolio's face, and Mercutio was glad to see it. He didn't want to have anything to do with his former friend, but he also had questions he needed answered, and Benvolio was the only one who could tell him what he wanted to know. So Mercutio sighed and made wordless sounds, questioning sounds, and hoped that Benvolio would remove the gag.

"Do you want to say something? Of course. I understand. You must have plenty of questions. Do you promise not to scream if I let you talk? I don't want to gag you, you know, I love your voice, but if you make too much noise I will have to. Can you promise me to keep a level tone?"

Mercutio glared but nodded. The first thing he did once his mouth was free was to take a deep breath; the second was to spit in Benvolio's face. It looked almost like Benvolio was expecting something like that, but Mercutio didn't care. After all the screaming his voice was hoarse and almost painful in his own ears, but the important thing was that he could talk again. "You fucking traitor."

"Please, Cutio-"

"Don't call me that! You lost the right to call me that the moment you clubbed me down and _abducted_ me!"

"It was for your own sake!" Benvolio grabbed Mercutio's shoulders, shaking him lightly.

Mercutio growled at him. "Don't touch me! Don't you fucking touch me! You betrayed me. I trusted you, more than anyone else, and you betrayed me. For 'my own sake'? _You're_ the one hurting me! You even- you-" His voice broke, and to his frustration Mercutio felt tears stinging at his eyes again. "You killed him," he forced out between clenched teeth. "You _killed_ him."

"You don't understand!" Benvolio shook his head, his face pleading as he reached out to hold Mercutio's face, ignoring the dark look. "I had to do it!"

"You sneaked behind him and stabbed him in the back." Mercutio tightened his fists and fought the impulse to struggle again. He wanted to fight and Benvolio was right there, looking so earnest and worried. It only made the feeling of betrayal worse. "What was he going to do? We were talking, in private, and you murdered him."

"I stopped him!"

"Stopped him from what? Having a conversation?" Mercutio sneered.

"You don't understand. You can't. You don't know." Benvolio stared into Mercutio's eyes, making shills crawl down his spine with the desperation in those eyes.

"Then tell me. Explain to me why you murdered him. Explain why you betrayed me."

"He was going to kill you!"

Mercutio blinked, for a moment shocked into silence. Then he laughed, loud and hard, not caring if he was being 'too loud.' "Kill me? We were _lovers_! We played pretend for others, but you knew better. I know this as a fact, because I told you!"

"You don't understand!"

"You keep saying that!" Mercutio yelled, not caring about Benvolio's earlier warning. Before Benvolio could do more than grab the gag again Mercutio continued, in a normal talking tone. "If I don't understand then explain it."

Benvolio shook his head. "You don't understand. You can't, you can't, you can't." He gripped Mercutio's face again and stared at him. When he leaned down and pressed his lips against Mercutio's all Mercutio could do was close his eyes and keep his lips pressed closed.

"I love you," Benvolio murmured, pressing a kiss to the corner of Mercutio's mouth. "I love you," he murmured and kissed the other end. "I love you," he murmured and pressed his lips fully against Mercutio's again. "I'll protect you, won't let anyone hurt you, won't let _him_ hurt you."

"You bastard!" Mercutio threw up his head with all the force he had in him, knocking it hard against Benvolio's, who yelped and fell backwards. Ignoring the pain pulsing through his own head Mercutio strained against the ropes tying him down and shouted, "You killed him! You're the one hurting me, not him! I'll kill you for this, do you hear me? I'll kill you!"

He continued to scream even as Benvolio threw himself on top of him, even as Benvolio pushed him down, even as the gag was firmly pushed into his mouth and tied in place. The tears ran down his cheeks as he wordlessly screamed in frustration and anger and despair. Eventually, once he sank down against the bed, all his energy spent, he realized Benvolio was stroking him and kissing his chest. The moment he noticed he froze.

"It's good for you to get it all out," Benvolio murmured, raising his head to look at Mercutio with a small smile. "I understand that you're upset and angry; you have every right to feel that way. I'm sorry I have to keep you quiet, but once we're out of Verona I swear we'll talk. I'll tell you everything and you'll understand. It was all for the best, you'll see. He would have hurt you, would have killed you, if I hadn't stopped him. Other people would have suffered too, and you don't want that, do you, Cutio?"

Mercutio closed his eyes and dunked his head into the pillow as hard as he could. He had never expected Benvolio of all people to do anything like-

He shuddered away from the thought. He didn't want to think about it, because if he did then he would have to remember. Remember Tybalt. Remembering Tybalt only made him want to weep, and he couldn't do that, wouldn't allow himself.

"Don't you worry." Benvolio's voice was right next to Mercutio's ear, and Mercutio scrunched his eyes shut even tighter as he shivered. He felt Benvolio's hands on his hips. "I'll take care of you. I love you so much, Cutio. Won't let you be hurt, I promise. I'll keep you safe."

When the hands moved to cup his ass Mercutio groaned and tossed his head from side to side, his gag making his protests unintelligible. Benvolio either didn't notice his distress or didn't care, and Mercutio stared with pounding heart as he stood up and removed his clothes. As Benvolio climbed back onto the bed Mercutio closed his eyes and thought of Tybalt.


End file.
